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CUPE 960 officers were present and watching the November 25th Oshawa City Council meeting and took the following notes:
From first delegation, School Board: 62% of housing in Durham is in Oshawa. In 2013 Oshawa had planned 223 developments to begin; however there has been a 606 developments which is a 1725 raise. This means development charges and property taxes which means there SHOULD be an increase in funding. There is a Christmas Backpack program for at-risk youth at The Refuge. A $75.00 donation will fund a backpack for these at-risk youth. According to the Durham District School Board Make a Difference presentation, most of the low income cutoff families live in oshawa. Most the parent-family literacy centres are in Oshawa. Of ages 0-12 in the low income cutoff category in Durham Region, 19.8% live in Oshawa. Next up on the agenda was the presentation by Ian Heckford, Oshawa Public Library CEO and Gil Patterson, Library Board Chair. An interesting statistic is that the library workers in Oshawa is 87% female; however this workforce is consistently represented by males and the majority of the management team is male. City council is also mostly male. Ian last met with council on February 11th and over the last nine months have been working on the following consultant's report recommendations:
So, in 9 months the library could complete some of the recommendations, some will take a few years, some Ian said they may determine 'do we even need to do this at all?' In response to the Auditor general's report, the library costs were not effectively managed and needed to reduce reliance on funding from the city. $140,000 savings were found and a 1.8% reduction. Library continues to review all reductions and spending. Shared Services In December 2008, this was first brought up and in 2009 benchmarks of other libraries were looked at. In 2010 CIty Finance recommended the sharing of services including all finance, admin, IT, H&S, to integrate with city. In 2011 there were discussions and advice on collective agreement info, according to document FA 11-04, there were impediments in 2011 and staff continue to find more efficiencies. There have been 4 task groups: IT, HR, Finance, Facilities and will also be looking at legal and purchasing. What these groups are looking at includes level units, potential legal and liability issues, integrating 3 CUPE locals, how will library's priorities be determined? Ian then reminded the council that next year we are looking at 150 years of library service and invited the board to events surrounding the 150th anniversary. Councillor John Neal asked, "What are you doing in regards to supporting young children in poverty?" Ian said, "We are doing a great deal supporting literacy, with partnerships with school boards, large number of programs, many partnerships, and a fair number of programs available.: Councillor Sanders commented that he was happy to see that many of the recommendations have been looked at including self-checkout and shared services, happy to see a reduced budget and that they are looking at a leaner management team. He asked if there will be consistent hours across the board and Ian said, "No final decisions have been made yet." Councillor Bouma reported that even though there have been a reduced number of programs, attendance has increased and the library is doing a great job with 5 1/2 less persons than previously were there (*editors note - I think this is 4.5 %) Ian said the message was clearly understood that the 2014 budget would be $300,000 less than 2012. Councillor Wood asked if the library could find any more savings to reduce the reliance of 8.4 million from the city? "Can you find more efficiencies to add?" Ian reported, "We are looking at more and have achieved more." Wood stated, "So it's safe to say there's no gravy train on your front porch?" Ian replied, "Uh, no." Councillor Marimpietri commented on programming resources and asked how the library is serving the university/college population and Ian replied that there is a plan to open longer hours for study hall primarily aimed at Durham/UoIT/ and Trent. The meeting was quite long and a councillor was even asked to leave but we are only writing on what pertained to the library workers.
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According to the City Council agenda, Oshawa Libraries’ Chief Executive Officer Ian Heckford and Chairman of the Board Gil Paterson to provide an update on the progress Oshawa Libraries has made concerning increasing efficiencies and cost savings.
This presentation will include information on proposed shared services with the city and specifically may impact maintenance, purchasing, finance, IT, human resources and more. If you are available at 6:30 PM, please attend this Oshawa City Council meeting at City Hall, 50 Centre Street, Oshawa. Hope to see you there! Contact our local President, Tiffany Balducci, for more details. November 20 is a day to remember those killed because of the hatred or fear of transgender people. It is also a time to consider the harassment and discrimination trans people face, and what we must do to eliminate it.
CUPE 960 will be at the Trans Flag raising ceremony tomorrow, November 20th at 1:00 outside City Hall. We will also be at 2013 Event tomorrow evening: PFLAG Canada Durham Region in partnership with Your SA - The Student Association at Durham College and UOIT (Outreach Services) present 2013's Trans Day of Remembrance Durham Region There will be speakers, performances, refreshments and lots of opportunity to learn more about the trans community and how you can support the trans community and individuals. Come and show your support! "The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media rarely performs. TDOR publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. TDOR reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. TDOR gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence" Please read the following letter from CUPE National: A recent survey showed that one in five trans Ontarians over the age of 16 have been the targets of physical or sexual assault and another one in three have experienced verbal harassment or threats. High rates of suicide and attempted suicide prevail in the transgender community. Trans rights are human rights. Trans people still struggle for the same rights most of us take for granted: a safe place to live and work, access to safe public washrooms and change rooms, identity documents that match their gender, to be called by their chosen name, and to express their sense of self freely in what they wear and how they interact with others. For more than a decade now, CUPE has been a leader among Canadian unions in championing trans rights. CUPE has developed bargaining resources, negotiates and enforces contract language protecting trans rights, educates members, raises public awareness about transphobia, supports research, and lobbies for legislative change and improved access to health care. Our union also provides training and support for trans and other LGBTTI activists to become leaders. In July of this year, a CUPE delegation took part in the Human Rights Conference at the 2013 World OutGames in Antwerp, Belgium. Our representatives did a presentation on transphobic harassment and discrimination in employment and health care that featured the personal experiences of Martine Stonehouse, Audrey Gauthier, and Deidra Roberts, three trans activists who sit on the National Pink Triangle Committee. What can you and your local do to protect and promote trans rights?
In solidarity and pride, Paul Moist National President Charles Fleury National Secretary-Treasurer  At the October 2013 General Membership meeting, our 2013-2015 Strategic Plan was discussed and implemented. The entire report is available here.
Here are some highlights! Our Overall Vision: Mission Statement To enrich the lives of our members and working people everywhere. Vision As recognized leaders within the Labour Movement, Local 960 will: · Cultivate a culture of solidarity · Demand security, dignity, and respect for our members · Mobilize our membership, and · Impact public policy that effects social and economic change to benefit working people Objectives and Initiatives To foster honesty and trust in the understanding that we are here to work together for the common good of YOU - our membership. To improve communications and professionalism between our membership and management that will foster and maintain continual improvements in our working environment and opportunities. To promote fairness and integrity in how management treats our members in all aspects of employment at the Oshawa Public Libraries. To be the collective voice of our members in representing them in conflicts with management and in policy changes. Strength in our membership only empowers us to have a larger role in our own destinies. Read the Strategic Plan in it's entirety for more information! |
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